Watch Joanie's Funeral
Joan "Joanie" Kramer, 76, of Bejou, MN, passed away unexpectedly on March 9, 2026, in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL, surrounded by the love of her family.

Born in Detroit Lakes, MN, on July 13, 1949, to Edward Berens and Alice Bardwell Berens, Joanie grew up in Mahnomen and graduated from Mahnomen High School in 1967. Soon after, she moved to the Twin Cities, where she married her high school sweetheart, Doug Kramer. Joanie worked as a District typist at UPS in Minneapolis until, shortly after the birth of their first daughter, Laurie. She and Doug then returned to the Mahnomen area to raise their family close to home.

After the birth of their second daughter, Monica, in 1971, Doug and Joanie purchased Doug's family farm near Bejou. In 1972, son Mike was born. This began a long, shared life of dedication to farming. For the past 54 years, Doug and Joanie worked hand in hand to build a thriving farming operation. Joanie's quiet strength and willingness to do whatever needed to be done were at the heart of the farm's success.

Faith was central to who Joanie was. Over the years she volunteered in many roles at church, including teaching Sunday School and leading Missionettes, where she poured into the lives of children and young women. During the winters she and Doug spent in Florida, she started a Bible study at their resort, sharing her love for Scripture with others. She faithfully led the final session of this year's Bible study just three days before she passed away.

Joanie's faith inspired her deep commitment to the sanctity of life. For many years, she served in leadership roles within Mahnomen County Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL).  And more recently, she supported the Walker Area Pregnancy Support Center, using her time, talents, and resources to support mothers, babies, and families in tangible ways.

A gifted and lifelong artist, Joanie found joy in creating beauty with her hands. She was an accomplished seamstress and loved sewing quilts and special gifts for family and friends. She enjoyed painting and drawing, capturing scenes, flowers, and memories with a careful and creative eye. Her needlework and crafts were expressions of her love, each piece stitched, painted, or crafted with patience and care. Her home, and the homes of those she loved, are filled with the work of her hands and the stories behind them.

Joanie also had a passion for family history. She spent countless hours researching her family's genealogy and preserving their stories for future generations. One of her lifelong dreams came true this past spring when she traveled to Germany to visit her ancestral homeland and meet her German cousins, a trip that meant the world to her and fulfilled years of careful research and anticipation.

Her love of history extended beyond her own family. Joanie played a critical role in assisting the Mahnomen County Historical Society museum in relocating from the basement of the courthouse to its current Main Street location, helping ensure that the stories of the community she loved would be more visible and accessible.

Joanie delighted in both vegetable and flower gardening, tending to her plants with the same patience and devotion she showed to the people in her life. One of her recent passion projects was designing, helping to implement, and caring for a Reflection Garden at the Florida resort that she and Doug have called their winter home for many years. That garden now stands as a living testament to her faith, creativity, and desire to create peaceful spaces for others.

Above all, Joanie was devoted to her family. She cherished Doug, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she showed her love in a thousand everyday ways - through meals shared, phone calls made, notes written, stories told, prayers offered, and her constant presence at important moments and quiet days alike.

Joanie is survived by her high school sweetheart and husband of 58 years, Doug; her children, Laurie (Phil) Juve, Monica McConkey (Bill Sargent), and Mike Kramer; six grandchildren:  Nick (Andrea) Juve, Andrew (Steph) Juve, Luke Juve, Wyatt McConkey, Austin McConkey, and Kaitlin McConkey; and five great grandchildren:  Jayden, Mason, Owen, Jude, and Arlice.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Alice Berens, and sister, Beverly.

A Visitation and Prayer Service will be held on Monday, March 23, 2026, from 5-7 pm at Anderson Family Funeral Home, Mahnomen.  A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 1 pm at Anderson Family Funeral Home, Mahnomen. Burial will take place at Bejou Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Walker Area Pregnancy Support Center, PO Box 1527, Walker, MN, 56484 or the ORA Reflection Garden, c/o Kathy Barnard, PO Box 524, Chokoloskee, FL, 34138.